Friday night was a wild and spectacular place to be if you were at 3rd & Lindsley Bar and Grill, downtown Nashville. The country, Latino, classic rock group Saints of Havana put in their best performance to date! The music/bar venue was nearly packed to the brim and the crowd was enamored with the band's stellar performance.
Now the big news is 3rd & Lindsay has invited them back for a rare encore performance, just 2 weeks after their past debut. Tickets are currently being sold for the September 24 big stage event beginning at 7:00 p.m, first come first serve.
Lets talk photography for a moment. People are always asking me how I created this shot or grabbed that image. And reference is made to the top equipment I use. Yes, the equipment is a factor sometimes, but more often than not, it is the eye, training and patience of the creator, ie. me. It is knowing your subject and being prepared for their next move before it happens, the anticipation of the next shot. As Henri Cartier-Bresson coined the term "the decisive moment", that is the hallmark of a great photographer whether it be a commerical photographer, sports photographer or even a portrait photographer. That split second look or expression makes or breaks the winning photograph.
The "eye" or the ability to see and create or capture a scene in the camera is the perhaps the major denominator among the artist crowd. Each have their own style and it is in that style the artist creates his interpretation or message in each and every photograph. Beginning photographers and many amateurs more often than not have not really created their "style." The style is the look of their interpretation, and their technique used in capturing an image is a huge component of their look. I am told by many other photographers and clients alike that my use of color is unique - strong, bold color on the point of being vivid. I love color and I love adding or capturing it in my photography. Perhaps this is the main reason why I show less black and white, I am so pulled to vivid color.
My style is further defined as three-dimensional, and the way I perceive the scene and light it is by adding depth to the image that I am creating. I want you as the viewer to feel the image, feel and see the depth for an added realism that a two-dimensional object like photographic paper or a computer monitor cannot really deliver. But my photography does incorporate this added dimension to heighten the viewer's experience and sense of realism brought out in my work.
Lighting is everything to photography. Depth in my photographs is brought about by lighting. I try to light or find light that brings out a sculptured quality of the subject in relationship to its surroundings. The band performing is a perfect example. I try to find and use light that brings the subject or musician out from the background. This same light not only lights the subject, but it lights if from an angle that gives highlights, mid-tones and shadows in each and every component of the photograph. The scene is truly sculpted in light and every muscle, shirt fold, or musical instrument has form, texture, shadow and highlight. The roundness or shape is enhanced to add to your viewing pleasure so you will have a sense of being there and can actually feel the performance taking place.
These are just some of the tools I incorporate into my work to create photography that stands out and viewers can relate to and be excited with. I want you, the viewer, to "feel" the photograph and feel as if you were there. Like a good story teller, I am telling a story with a photograph with the camera as my tool instead of a pen.
Enjoy!
David Wright
Master Photographer
